Who's your SHero? The nomination period for the Annual Tribute to SHeroes Awards is now open. Nominate a woman who shines bright and has demonstrated leadership, love for community and dedication to service. Please note that in order to be eligible, nominees must live or have ties to Council District 9.

To submit your nominees, fill out the submission form here: 2019 SHero Nominations 

The nomination period concludes on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. Inductees to the exclusive CD 9 program will be celebrated on May 19 at a special luncheon and awards ceremony.

If you have questions about the SHero program, please contact Nora Gutierrez at (323) 846-2651 or via email at Nora.Gutierrez@lacity.org

Councilman Curren Price and Councilwoman Nury Martinez announced on Jan. 31 a renewed focus and vigorous approach to crackdown on pimps and Johns and abolish human trafficking in South LA for once and for all.

During a press conference that also included Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Price and Martinez revealed details of a $500,000 designation that will allow the South Bureau Human Trafficking Task Force to adequately allocate its resources to combat this epidemic, as well as other prostitution-related crimes, in South LA. Operating out of Councilmember Price’s 9th District, the South Bureau Human Trafficking Task Force focuses on tackling human trafficking in Council Districts 8, 9, and 10, represented by Councilmembers Harris-Dawson, Price and Council President Wesson, respectively.

“Together we stand strong in this fight that transcends borders, Districts and communities,” Councilman Price said. “It should serve notice to pimps and Johns that we won't allow exploitation of girls and young women in Los Angeles; nor will they continue to have free rein to terrorize our schools, businesses and neighborhoods.”

The latest effort brings improvements that have succeeded in areas of the San Fernando Valley that Councilwoman Martinez represents to South LA's Human Trafficking Task Force.

“The Operations-Valley Bureau has been truly successful, and because of that, I have partnered with my colleagues on the Council that represent Districts 8, 9 and 10 to replicate this type of enforcement. This is a citywide issue that doesn’t limit itself to district lines. Whether it’s a girl in the Valley or a girl in South LA, she is our responsibility,” said Councilwoman Martinez. “We must stand together, as a City, to dismantle once and for all the exploitation of our women and girls. They are our wives, our daughters, and our granddaughters. We must do better and say no more.”

Teachers at three South Los Angeles charter schools operated by The Accelerated Schools voted on Jan. 28 to approve a new labor agreement and to formally call for an end to their historic eight-day strike. Teachers returned to their classrooms Monday morning following a weekend of negotiations—mediated by Councilmember Curren Price—between the United Teachers Los Angeles union and The Accelerated Schools.

“If our communities are to thrive, we must invest in our schools, empower our educators and put students first," said Councilman Price, whose district includes The Accelerated Schools. “The children in our public schools may go on to discover breakthroughs for deadly diseases, develop the next social media platform or build a billion-dollar company; we all share an obligation to help them reach for that mountaintop.

The future of our communities will depend on the steps we take today to strengthen our public education system.”

Monday's ratification vote puts in place an agreement that will cover the terms and conditions of Accelerated teachers’ employment through the 2020-2021 school year.

Newly negotiated provisions include:

• Three months’ severance package including salary and benefits for any teacher who is not offered an employment contract from one year to the next.
• An improved arbitration process that requires a unanimous vote of the Accelerated Board of Trustees in order to reverse any decision made by an arbitrator.
• Annual signing bonuses of $10,000 for teachers who return to their positions at the beginning of each school year.
• The formation of a Collaborative Consensus Committee for stakeholders to discuss issues and create and implement improvements to schoolwide processes and practices.
• Annual increases in the employer’s share of healthcare costs.

Added Jeff Good, UTLA Executive Director: “The heroic efforts of teachers, parents, and students at The Accelerated Schools have resulted in significant progress toward addressing the problems that led to this strike. UTLA appreciates the great work of Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price and his staff in helping us reach an agreement.”  

The strike at The Accelerated Schools was the first charter school strike in California’s history.

On Friday, Jan.25, First lady of the Republic of Zambia, Mrs. Esther Lungu, joined Councilmember Curren Price in Council Chambers for a very special presentation.

Price announced that the City and County banded to donate four fire apparatus and assorted surplus firefighting equipment to Los Angeles’ Sister City Lusaka, Zambia. The news of the gift was significant because it is the first donation of former Los Angeles fire equipment to the continent of Africa.

“My sincerest thanks and appreciation to the Los Angeles City Fire Department, LA County FD and Stentorians for making this a reality,” Councilman Price said. “Angelenos are very familiar with wildfires and the impact they have on families, communities and our infrastructure.

This donation will serve the citizens of Lusaka well and allows the City there to be better prepared to fight fires.”

In the 1990s, then LAFD Assistant Chief went to Zambia for an assessment and witnessed the lack of resources and training the Republic had. 

In honor of Black History Month, the Office of Councilman Curren Price, in collaboration with African Focus, proudly presents “African Dance Competition Los Angeles.”

The event will take place on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the California African American Museum (CAAM) and is meant to promote and preserve African culture through dance and other art forms. This year's event will feature 14 cultural dance groups from Afro-fusion and Traditional African dance.

Get your tickets at www.africandancela.com. More details below.

Earlier this week, I had the honor of visiting and meeting with the owner of Baby J's Burgers—a new South LA restaurant located at the corner of 25th Street and Central Avenue. Here, Chef Jason “Baby J” Harley takes much pride in his work by bringing fresh, gourmet and high-quality ingredients into his food. If you haven't already, come to the Ninth District and take your pick of a range of tasty foods, including savory burgers, loaded-fries and salted caramel brownie milkshakes. 

Supporting small and local businesses is of the utmost importance to my Office. Years ago, I established the CD 9 Business Resource Center (BRC) inside my Constituent Service Center to assist entrepreneurs and business owners gain access to business development tools, services and training. We also develop several programs and events year-round designed to nurture the growth of for-profit companies, community based organizations, faith-based and non-profit organizations. For more information, please call my District Office at (323) 846-2651.

Good luck on your continued success Baby J's!

Our friends at Honda of Downtown LA, which is moving to Council District 9, are hosting their last open house job fair of the month this Monday, Jan. 21 from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Open positions at Honda of Downtown LA include Sales, Customer Service and Technicians.

Candidates should be prepared to bring copies of their resume, driver’s license or ID card, and a social security card. For more information on Employment Opportunities with Honda, visit their web page here.

Interested in exploring green careers? The Vernon-Central/LATTC WorkSource Center, in partnership with LA Trade Tech College and the U.S. Green Building Council-L.A., are offering a FREE, 5-week, hands-on training program starting Jan. 22.

Participants will have the opportunity to be mentored by experts in the green industry. To receive more information, please contact John Wilson at (213) 763-5954 or via email at jwilson@coalitionrcd.org

Thinking of purchasing your dream home? The Office of Councilman Curren Price, in collaboration with NEW Economics for Women, will host on Saturday, Jan. 26 a homebuyer education workshop. The FREE event, open to the public, will be from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at the CD 9 Constituent Service Center (4301 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles 90011).

During the workshop, aspiring homeowners will learn about credit reports, options for mortgage loans and much more. For more information, visit the NEW Economics for Women website here or call the CD 9 District Office at (323) 846-2651. See below for details. 

The Office of Councilman Curren Price is proud to present a FREE informational session for nonprofits looking to raise funds for their organization. This special event will take place Thursday, Feb. 7 from from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Reef (1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles 90007).

Event includes: insights from private foundation experts, a Q & A component, breakfast and parking. RSVP with Mike Castillo, CD 9 Business Resource Center Executive Director, via email at Mike.Castillo@lacity.org.